Big day of news for northwest’s two NWSL teams

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Because Portland and Seattle fans love it when you lump their news together (especially when you then have to choose which story goes first) …

The last of the eight Northwest Women’s Soccer League teams to announce their name began crafting their identity on Wednesday, with the Seattle Reign FC announced as the name of owner Bill Predmore’s franchise:

“Today’s announcement is the result of a thoughtful process to identify the name that best represents the values of our club, articulates our long-term ambitions and celebrates the community within which our supporters live.”

“Seattle Reign FC meets all of those objectives …”

While there has been some collective winging about some of the other logos floating around the league, Seattle nailed theirs:

The team also made official the long-known secret that Amy Carnell, who spent last season with the Sounders’ Women, will serve as the team’s general manager.

Three hours down the road in Portland, Thorns FC made some news of their own, hiring former U.S. Women’s National Team legend Cindy Parlow Cone as their first head coach.

Timbers and Thorns general manager Gavin Wilkinson:

“She was a part of a special group of players for the U.S. Women’s National Team that endeared women’s soccer to sports fans in the United States and helped catapult the U.S. Women into one of the best teams in the world. As a coach, Cindy is ambitious, and we feel she is the perfect fit to lead Thorns FC and help build the women’s game in Portland.”

Parlow Cone has spent the last six years as an assistant on Anson Dorrance’s staff at the University of North Carolina.

As a player, Parlow Cone was part of three national title-winning teams at UNC, twice being awarded the Harmann Trophy as the nation’s best player.

For the national team, Parlow Cone scored 75 goals in 158 appearances, winning two gold medals and the 1999 World Cup.

Parlow Cone:

“It is very exciting to be part of a new women’s league and to be a part of launching a new professional team in Portland,” Parlow Cone said. “I’ve seen first-hand the great enthusiasm Portland has for soccer; it’s a soccer-smart fan base that generates an incredible atmosphere. I am very much looking forward to the first season of Thorns FC.”

That season starts this spring and is set to run through the end of August.